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Brands and agencies get off on the wrong footing when they fail to define what success looks like. Brands need to be transparent about what success means to them, and agencies must be clear about what the delivery of that looks like.
Agencies and clients need to operate from the same data, from goals to insights to measurement.
“It’s in no one’s interest to see a creative industry losing talents,” says Antoine David, CEO and co-founder of Rosbeef! “I believe it’s our responsibility on both sides as senior managers to talk openly about things and to impose improvements.”
Examining the pledges
We took some of the Marketing Manifesto pledges and asked for the thoughts of global agency leaders
Pledge: Collapse the space between the dream and the reality
Have senior stakeholders from brand and agency present at the key moments throughout the creative process.
Jean Freeman, owner & CEO, Zambezi: “It would be inefficient to have everyone in every meeting at every point. But there are certainly ways to define senior leadership presence and those can be formulated as part of relationship development. Early sell-in is a great example. Everyone’s goal is to create the best work, so it’s up to the agency to figure out what is the best sell-in process, what is the best review process, and work with each client individually to determine those processes.”
Pledge: Create an understanding of DE&I goals upfront
Ensure there is a mutual agreement to have diversity across the whole team and hold each other accountable.
Eoin Rodgers, managing partner, TMW: “As an industry, we still have a way to go to redress an historic lack of diversity and inclusion, so it should definitely be part of plans – as it is at TMW. Especially in today’s talent market, establishing diversity and representation in teams can take time. While goals and intentions are great, we need to support and hold each other accountable in achieving those goals, however long-term. It is also important that leadership teams help to drive these ambitions through the business.”
Pledge: The agency and partnerships are briefed simultaneously ahead of pitches
The partnership should frame the type of agency the client wants to work with – and this should be outlined at the same time as the brief.
Cairo Marsh, founder & managing partner, Relativ: “There should be more open conversations before pitch-work begins. Agencies sometimes engage even when they question the fit, because we want clients, and we hope we can change them later. And clients sometimes engage when they question the fit because they want to see a range of ideas. But it’s like any other relationship: it doesn’t make sense to start a relationship and think you are going to change the other person, so honesty is needed right from the start.”
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Many thanks to everyone who took part in our interviews: Vitor Barros, Propeg; Stephen Brown, Fuse Create; Antoine David, Rosbeef!; Jean Freeman, Zambezi; Dan Green, Activision Blizzard; Forrest King, Juice Pharma; Cairo Marsh, Relativ; Rachel McQueen, Air Miles; George Roberts, Five by Five; Eoin Rodgers, TMW.